Tom cooks 17. Katsuo-kobu dashi & Tai-chan kukkii (bonito kelp stock & cookies for Tai)

Savory and chewy, and obviously mouthwatering for Tai, our dog.

The first time Tom made katsuo-kobu dashi earlier this year, that was all he did. He kindly prepared an essential stock for me, and I ended up making something with it.

The second time Tom made the dashi, it was to get a key ingredient for Tai's cookies. Dashi simply was a by-product of his operation.
 

Banana & blueberry cookies were a great hit during summer, but when Tai started to show some dissatisfaction with the same cookies time after time, Tom experimentally replaced the fruit with katsuobushi bonito flakes from making dashi and added some crushed nori seaweed, both Tai's favorites. The cookies smelled like some sort of Japanese senbei rice cracker while in the oven.

Despite Tom having some doubts originally, these cookies met with big approval by Tai. He is thrilled every time Tom starts making katsuo-nori cookies. His eyes twinkle and follow the movements of Tom's hands as if he knows exactly what comes next -- straining dashi, putting moist katsuobushi into a bowl along with crushed nori seaweed, mixing again, spooning on a baking sheet, and so on.

Making these cookies involves no exact measurement. All ingredients are simply mixed and allow to sit for a while (to let oats absorb moisture), and baked until the surface is crispy! The ingredients Tom uses are: large handful rolled oats, small amount of flour (to bind everything), some milk, katsuobushi from making dashi, and several sheets of nori seaweed.





Recipe for Tom: Katuo dashi, katsuo-kobu dashi / bonito stock, bonito-kelp stock